The stop includes ATMs, display of buses, washrooms and reading room facility
Workers taking down illegal bus stop at Azhar Khana on Tuesday. Ten such illegal stops were taken down in the same area by Cantonment board staff. (Photo: DC )
Chennai: No more standing in sweltering heat or pouring rain while waiting for a bus at Azhar Khana bus stop: In a pilot project, the cantonment board aims to make an air-conditioned bus stop at the spot. The stop will include facilities like ATMs, display of buses coming to the stop, washrooms and reading room facility.
Officials aim to have more of such stops depending on the success of the project especially when illegal stops thrive in the area. Cantonment board CEO S. Prabhakaran says, “There are nearly 100 illegal bus stops in the area. And we have begun the process of removing them. On Tuesday, we removed 10 of them and we will be removing the others too in the coming week.”
He adds, “A private contractor approached us with a proposal of having a air-conditioned bus stop with other facilities and the place being a prime location with nearly 1,000 buses making trips through the bus stop, we went ahead.”
According to the present plan there will be three bus stops - each at a distance of 20 feet and will have seating capacity of 32 and standing capacity of 45 each. All the three will have an ATM and also security guards. The stop is coming up at a cost of '1.25 crore say officials.
CCTV camera would also be put ahead of the bus stop and connected to television kept in the stops which will live feed the images of approaching buses. There will be a reading room with newspapers and Carnatic music will be played.
Prabhakaran says, “The bus stop would be functional by December 15. We have given a no-objection certificate to the vendor and they would be maintaining it for five years.”
Murugan R, a daily commuter who travels between Guindy and Tambaram says, “Often the place is crowded and in the afternoons, it becomes hard to find shade.”
S. Shanmugham, procurement manager of the contracted company, says, “There is a lot of development happening in the area and when metro comes up, it will be a prime place through which people will commute. The step is aimed to benefit people.”
It was passengers in the temple town of Kumbakonam who first enjoyed the pleasures of an air-conditioned bus shelter that was opened at four-road junction near the East police station.
The AC bus shelter put by City Union Bank at a cost of '18 lakh was inaugurated by state minister R. Vaithilingam in May last year. The shelter can accommodate 30 passengers at a time. There is an ATM attached to the bus stop. A surveillance camera fitted to the bus stop that would be closed at night, is connected to the police station nearby.
( Source : dc correspondent )
Next Story
